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ask foodosophy…

We can’t possibly post every food experience we’ve ever had – we generally accumulate experiences faster than we can write. However, we would like to give you an opportunity to ask us about any restaurant-related questions the world over. We haven’t managed to hit every country in the world yet, but we’ve covered most of them!

Here is your opportunity to ask away. We’re happy to help if we ca.

– the foodosophy team

P.S. please note we do not currently accept direct email.

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95 thoughts on “ask foodosophy…”

I was just wondering if you’ve heard of my business in Calgary yet? Choklat is the only company in Western Canada to actually “MAKE” chocolate, and does so from some of the rarest and finest cocoa beans in the world. Furthermore, it’s the only chocolate company I’m aware of anywhere that you can get your truffles made for you while you wait in the store.

If you’re looking for something truly unique, and chocolate of a quality that I’ve been told rivals the best European chocolate that our customers have tasted, it may be worthwhile looking into.

Yes indeed we know of your business – not only are we patrons of your business, but we are bigs fans (of the Porcelana especially!), and have mentioned your business in a few other reviews as well. We have the material we need for a review, but it’s in the queue. Look for it coming up in the next few months…

I am thinking it is indeed the China Firewall. Would help explain (at least in part) the complete lack of visitors from China (according to our ClustrMaps). Would you happen to remember if you tried accessing any other WordPress blogs while you were there?

>J Lintag
Thanks for your query, we’ll try to help out. But more info on say what part of town (as its assumed you’re not driving a long way across town just to eat for example at this late time of day) or type of cuisine you’re seeking, would help narrow down the list…

I enjoy reading your food blog as I am a Vancouverite, lived in Toronto, now living in Edmonton. Bad food is a waste of an appetite, so I like to look for the gems in each city. You must try Go Fish! in Vancouver. It is a small outdoor fresh seafood “stand” by the Fisherman’s Wharf outside Granville Island. Best Oyster burger ever!

As for my question: any good recommends for spots with fantastic baked goods and an affordable fresh food/contemporary restaurant in central Edmonton?

Go Fish is excellent. I’ve been several times…unfortunately, usually sans camera. Great recommendation though!

As for Edmonton, im not sure if you’re asking for one recommendation or two? Im guessing two. In terms of baked goods, there’s certainly a wide variety, but nothing i would say is exceptional – certainly nothing like Butter in Van. The Italian Centre (downtown, and southside) seems to be very popular. Somethings there are good. Some, not so much. I think Bon Ton on 149 Street is decent, and Bee Bell Healthy Bakery does some interesting stuff. There is the Artisan Bakery on Whyte, which is so so. That’s all i can think of off the top of my head. Chains seem popular, so Cobs is always a bit hit. Fresh Start Bakery in Riverbend is overrated.

In terms of fresh food/contemporary that is affordable, really depends on your idea of affordable. Places like Culina are somewhat reasonable (bistro style prices anyway) – and fresh and contemporary. In a step up in price, you’d be looking at the Red Ox Inn type of price point – at which point it’s starting to add up. Let me know what price range, and preferably a style, and we’ll see what we can do.

I believe there are a handful of cafe and/or coffee in general posts. But perhaps they are more from Alberta. I believe if you’re hoping for cafe reports in Vancouver, our writers prefectionist1 and gastro are the best sources – let’s hope they can find some time to write some. 🙂

Sounds like a great idea to add coffee houses. I’ll be glad to do it – being a coffee geek. Some quick recommendations for Vancouver (ie my favourites):

-Bump n Grind – my neighbourhood joint. Owners are truly perfectionist about coffee. They use 49th Parallel beans, but often bring in beans from the top American roasters (eg Intelligentsia, Ritual, etc.). Many of the city’s top baristas hang out here.
-Elysian Room – another perfectionist coffee house. 49th Beans.
-Wicked Cafe – probably the best place right downtown. Experience baristas all around.
-JJ Bean – my favourite locations are the Commercial Dr and Main St locations. They roast their own beans.

Didn’t know you were a coffee geek – the Canadian National Barista Championships are this week at the Van Convention Centre on Wed and Thurs. You should try and make it out there if you can (there are free passes at some coffee shops)…i bet it’ll be really interesting!

While i can’t speak for everyone here at Foodosophy, i know yours is a cause i wholeheartedly support. While i will not be able to make it, if there’s something we can do to feature your event to help raise some awareness, let us know.

Some of the other Foodosophers may wish to join you at your event though! I’ll leave that up to them.

Currently, there are seven of us on the writing roster, with varying degrees of activeness. As far as I know, none of us “write” for a living. Though I am sure there are some of us who wish we could do this for as a paying gig, giving us much needed funds to continue eating. 🙂

Thanks for the positive feedback, it is much appreciated! While we have had several people come and go under the foodosophy handle, we currently have 4 people actively writing – Shokutsu, Gastro, O-toro, and myself. We are trying to browbeat Almattone to come back and write again though 🙂

We are definitely not professional writers by trade. Just a group of girls and guys who love food.

I love this blog- I appreciate the honesty and the obvious love of food which shines through in all of the entries. I’m newish to Vancouver (I just moved from Calgary this fall for school) and I’m wondering if you have any recommendations for good vegetarian-centric restaurants. I’ve tried the Naam and Bo Kong restaurants, and some friends have recommended that I give Foundations restaurant a try, but I was wondering if there are any lesser-known hidden gems out there which would be worth trying first?

Try the following: Saravanaa Bhavan, Prayag Raj, 3G Vegetarian, House of Dosa, Radha Yoga, Bandidas Taqueria, Dharma Kitchen, Gorilla Foods, Sweet Cherubim for vegetarian and vegan. I paticularly like Saravanaa Bhavan, Prayag Raj, House of Dosa, Dharma Kitchen and Radha Yoga. I included the rest of them on that list because some of my vege friends like them (…they are OK).

Some restos are not strictly vege (eg Nuba) but have some tasty vege dishes.

I am desperate for great dim sum here!
Please recommend any to me for high end – good quality, but not rip off like dim sum to your everyday dining with the carts!
thanks, you guys are the best and experts! love it!!!!!
p.s in vancouver that is!:)

looking for speciality items too!!! 🙂 ie why the dim sum place is famous – for their radish cakes etc? or buns… yummmmmm

Hey Foodosophy Team,
How are you?
My name is Egypt and would love to get in touch with one of your guys in regards to something i’m working on – re your blog.
Anyone got an email to pass over to me, or just email me back please on:egyptashi@gmail.com

I just wanted to alert you to a contest that might interest your readers and listeners and a recipe that may suit your blog.
Foodies may be interested in getting in their last-minute entries for the Pack Your Appetite contest – http://packyourappetite.ca/en/ –a chance to win a culinary vacation to the Island as well as grocery gift cards. This is a great chance to visit the Island and indulge in its fresh food offerings. The contest closes March 31st.
We also have a potato cake recipe from Chef Gordon Bailey. Chef Bailey only uses the freshest local ingredients in his kitchen at Charlottetown’s renowned Lot 30 restaurant and created this yummy recipe that shows the versatility and taste of potatoes. Please let me know if you’d like to see it.
As we wrap up the contest please let me know if you have any questions or require any images.
I hope to work with you in the future!
Best,
Jenny

Heading to Vancouver soon. What are some must goto places?
I’ve heard good things and like to see how the dim sum, hi end Cantonese is.
Also any signature Vancouver places, like Gary danko or Boulevard in San Francisco.

“Goto places”. Hmm, we’ll need more specifics – like location, cuisine, budget, etc. Dim Sum is not one of my favorites, but I’ve enjoyed Kirin (at City Square on 12th ave). Red Star Seafood, Fisherman’s Terrace, Imperial, I also hear good things about. Loads of choice out there from the cheap to the expensive. Have a look around our archives for more dim sum experiences. “Signature Vancouver”, perhaps the likes of Vij’s, Salt, the downtown izakaya scene, etc. If writer Foodosopher can chime in, I’m sure he can give more advice (given his probable familiarity with the SF places you listed).

Honestly Buru – i gave this a lot of thought and can’t think of one place i’ve had an Italian Veal Sandwich that stood out. My favorite breaded veal in town is actually at the Wienerschnitzelhaus in Bowness, but it isnt a sandwich. Sorry we can’t help you with this.

Are you interested in coming and trying a sneek peak menu at a new restaurant in Richmond? Matt from VancouverSlop is attending and mentioned that you may be interested as well. Please feel free to email me to get details.

I read your review about SmoQe BBQ in Aptos, CA and wanted to tell you you might want to go back and give them another try. When you reviewed them they had recently opened and were plagued with new restaurant jitters and I had to agree with most of what you wrote. I live right around the corner so in spite of their shortcomings I frequented this place and I have to say they always served up something that kept me hopeful they would get it together. They have just about turned over the entire staff, including the big rude guy pictured on your review and it has made a huge difference.

I am now a fan of this place and really appreciate how they have worked so hard to change things for the better. I just feel that they deserve another look from you guys so your reviews reflect the current awesomeness of SmoQe.

Hi Camilla and thanks for your query. We have loads of Korean-themed posts from the Vancouver area online here. Might you help narrow down some dishes you’ve enjoyed so far and perhaps we can point you in the direction of some we enjoyed. If you’re open to driving out to the burbs like Coquitlam, it might help expand the options as well.

Hi I just opened Shandong restaurant. If you are bored with cookie cutter chinese restaurants with bland dishes that emphasise on saving money by adding “filler” dishes, then you need to eat here. All my appetizers are house made including potstickers, dumplings, Shao loong bao, Mu shu pancakes. My noodles are made and cooked to order. With the exception of water chestnuts, no vegtables come out of a can. I only use fresh shittake mushrooms instead of dried and you can taste the difference. I’m not big on selling myself but I would like to get the word out and i believe my restaurant deserves this opportunity. Thank you, Henry Liu, Chef,Owner

Hey shokutsu,
I actually visit the coquitlam area few times a month, so totally no problem. I love most of the popular korean dishes like spicy tofu soup, BBQ, spicy pork stew …. etc. Especially the spicy+sweet dishes. I don’t tend to take risks when ordering food and usually go with the few staple dishes. So I would also love to try some authentic food that non-korean wouldn’t know of. Would you please make a few recommendations? I love insadong and hanwoori btw..

Thanks for the greater detail in what you are seeking. As Insadong and Hawnoori are quite well known and have their strengths (Insadong’s soondubu is perhaps my favorite in the GVRD), perhaps you might be interested in…

checking out the Korean-Chinese dishes such as jajangmyeon (blackbean noodles), tangsuyuk (sweet/sour fried pork) at Mi-Ae Deli, the kalguksu (hand-cut soup noodles) at Won Jo, or the kamja tang (potato soup with huge chunks of pork on the bone included in the stew) at Choon Ha Choo Dong (Vancouver). Posts covering all these dishes can be searched for on the site, as well as plenty of other Korean restaurant coverage.

Have you tried Kabab Grill, 70 Gerrard Street West, Toronto ?
Kabab Grill offers traditional food and sophistication is the definition of Toronto’s Kabab Grill. Great Traditional Lebanese-Mediterranean contemporary cuisine using traditional methods. Our dishes are prepared with the finest and freshest ingredients. Our menu is carefully put together to cater to any taste and appetite featuring the best Lebanese-Mediterranean combination.

The restaurant’s architecture and design reflects the richness and authenticity of our menu.

All of these elements come together to create a unique culinary experience that unmistakably defines the multicultural essence of Toronto.

Hello foodosophy, I think your reviews are great!
I have recently opened a new mediterranean restaurant in toronto, you have to come by and check it out!!!!
I only use the finest and freshest ingredients available. My meats come in daily from bruno’s fine food, which is right below my restaurant, and the service is fantastic.
Let me know when you come by so I can come over to you table to say hi.

Hi Foodosophy, I’m currently doing a “Fries Feature” and I’ve also read your amazing gastronomic experiences in different places. I’m currently residing in Singapore. Besides our local chains like “Best Fries Forever” and “Everything With Fries”, I’d love to garner more interest onto cosmopolitan travellers (who’d go all out for the FRITES!) which I feel would be very apt for my write-up. This great website that I’ve just stumbled upon 20 minutes ago was just a jackpot for my feature. Please reply me asap via my email or you can leave your contact info for me to contact you.

I produce an online documentary series on local, adventurous food called The Perennial Plate. We are currently syndicated on The Huffington Post and Serious Eats, and we receive 16,000 viewers a week. The reason Im writing — we are doing a tour of the US, but will also be stopping in Vancouver July 15th-July 19th and want to harvest some Wasabi root (and make some wasabi sauce). In researching Vancouver food, it was recommended that I check out your site. Do you know of anything on the subject of wasabi root? — we’re looking for local (small scale) wasabi farmers who would show us the ropes.

Mirra, thanks for stopping by and posing your question. I am personally aware of one company out here – Pacific Coast Wasabi (do a search for their website) – that may be able to help you in your quest. I believe they do it in a greenhouse environment. Coincidentally, one of our contributors had a year long experiment with growing fresh wasabi in a home environment with some success. It is a very difficult ingredient to grow well and in large quantities without a lot of hard work, the right environment and dedication. Good luck with your documentary journey!

I was once obsessed with growing my own wasabi, so I have some pertinent information:

Most of the wasabi action seems to be on Vancouver Island (about a 2 hour ferry ride away) – especially in the Comox Valley (which is a foodie destination in itself). Hazelmere Farms (Courtney) grows it and sells rhizomes at the farmer’s markets there.

The most interesting method of farming wasabi is in fish aquaculature.

Vancouver Island University’s Aquaculture programme (Nanaimo) grows wasabi using the waste water from their aquaculture (fish) ponds. (My nephew was a student there so I saw the operation first hand).

Another aquaculture operation called Swift Aquaculture in Agassiz that does the same thing. Swift supplies a number of the “Oceanwise” restaurants here in town from their close containment fish farms. Again – they use waste water from the fish ponds to grow wasabi (and watercress, and other greens)

There are a couple of destination/farm-to-table restaurants grow wasabi – eg Deerholme Farms in Duncan and Sooke Harbour House.

Natural Pastures (a cheesery in Comox, also on the Island) grows their own wasabi as an ingredient for one of their cheeses.

In Surrey (just Southeast of Vancouver) is Mountain View Wasabi which now sells two of the eight major cultivars (Daruma and Mazuma “Green Thumb”).

I grew a few plants a few years ago. I bought the rhizomes from Richter’s Herbs, IIRC.

My name is Heather Wright and I am the Sales & Events Manager for Louis Gervais Fine Foods & Catering. We will be hosting a open house evening for colleages and social media voices featuring a tasting menu, wine pairings and services by some of our event industry colleages and would like to extend an invitation for you to join us.

Could you please forward me contact information for one or all of you so that I might extend a more formal invitation?

While we appreciate the thought, the team at Foodosophy have chosen to remain anonymous in order to provide the fairest possible reviews – as such, we do not accept any of the offers extended to us by the community at large. We do appreciate the thought though, and wish you well on your open house!

I posted my Help! on another part of your site, so sorry if this is a duplicate. Am in dire need of a recommendation for a good sushi restaurant for wedding reception of ~20 people. My fav in vanc is Toshi, but is of-course too small and cannot accommodate. Am from out of BC so planning this long distance. Any place around Vanc, Richmond, Surrey would be great.

Hi, this is Mac from Mac’s Atlantic Grill in Port Moody I’d like to invite you back to my place, our treat to see how we’ve transformed our menu for the better. Feel free to give me a call or email me at your convenience to be our guest. Much appreciated!

TASTE Restaurant at FIVESIXTY is opening! We would like to invite you to enjoy a VIP evening of authentic tapas dishes, carefully-selected wines and craft beers, art, music, socializing and sharing this September 19th.

Please save the date, we’d love to see you there. Let us know if you have any questions and if you’re able to attend. Stay connected by following @TASTElounge on Twitter.

Hello Foodosophy,
I’ve been following your blog for quite a while and really enjoy reading it. Being passionate about cooking as well, we decided to realize our longtime dream. We are an early stage cooking startup based in San Francisco. I’d really appreciate if you could answer a couple of questions and give us your feedback about our idea.

Hi.
I’ve been reading some of your reviews, and I have made a similar website which I hope you will check out:http://www.restaurantcritic.eu
I have been to some of the same restaurants as you but also a lot of other ones. Is it okay that I post comments on your site for the restaurants I’ve been to in the style of: “I was here in September 2012. See full review at…” and then a link to my site? If you prefer I don’t, then no problem.
All the best
Anders Pedersen

Hi~
I’m Kim Dong Hwi from seoul, Korea.
Also Im in bibimbap backpackers which they introduce korean dish ‘bibimbap’ in United States.
We traveled east side of US during mar-may and we are going to go SF on July for introducing bibimbap!
We want to held an event for bloggers like you guys and it could be held on 20,July.
If you are interested in this event, please email me and I ll give you a document about our event and team~
Thank you for your reading this text and I hope you could email me~
We held an event in New York on april. 20
You could see our event on facebookpage.-> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.334963529939816.1073741840.222858181150352&type=3

Hi, my name is Alex and I am one of the founding team members of @theFavecast. We are a tool for amateur explorers to share short video insights that capture their favorite items and experiences.

We really like helping bloggers have more fun sharing their experiences in short video, just ask Sus and Chlo (http://bit.ly/1kTBiLf).

You have a great philosophy on blogging and a bunch of passionate content creators, so I was wondering if you would like to talk about ways to make short video a cool component of your blog, either online or over coffee.

We can even offer you our Favecast preview version for you to try out before we release publicly!

Hi Foodosophy –
I’m working with a start-up for food bloggers in Chicago called Tabelog (www.tabelog.us/chicago). They’re a subsidiary of the largest company in Japan Tabelog.com (similar to Yelp here in the US).
We’re bringing their annual restaurant awards to the US that are judged solely by a panel of local food bloggers (all online). The winning restaurants get a framed 2014 award and the food bloggers get an ‘official judge’ icons/etc and related PR for their blog. We’re looking for bloggers who have reviewed restaurants in the Chicago area to invite as an official judge. Is this something that you would be interested in?
You can contact me at awards_chicago@tabelog.us
Thanks in advance!
Brock

My name is Ryan Perkins and I work for Heylets, a brand new iPhone app, which launched in Australia this past November. We’ll be launching in Canada in a few days and in the U.S. shortly thereafter.

HeyLets allows you to add tweet-sized recommendations and a picture of your favourite places, whether it be an awesome cocktail lounge, your favourite hiking trail, or a serendipitous street performer. The goal is to connect people with similar interests through sharing experiences.

We have a select few positions open for Founding Members in Canada and we would love for you to be one of them. Your blog has a lot of great content! Your followers take great pleasure in knowing what you’re up to.. HeyLets is an amazing platform that allows you to further connect with your followers.

As a founding member, we’ll ensure that every new user in your area will automatically follow you, building your brand and exposure, and allowing you to post positive tweet length experiences while you are out and about! Like I said above, we think you would be a great fit for the position.

The best way to fully experience the app’s functions and features would really be to download it on your iPhone using this link: http://bit.ly/1rrB2G7

I look forward to hearing from you if you’re interested in finding out more details!

a friend of mine is trying to get in touch with terry deane. i believe it’s pizza related as i was singing the praises of terry’s pizza and he is, perhaps, looking to open a pizza joint and needs a man like terry at the helm. if possible please let terry know as i am having a hard time finding an email for him.